The Texas Tribune reported yesterday on James Ives, tea party leader. We were fascinated by this tidbit:

Ives and his wife have been active Tea Partiers since the political movement began in 2009. Ives spoke about “American exceptionalism” at a 2010 “Back to Basics” rally at the state Capitol, shared billing on a live 2011 radio broadcast with prominent conservative activists Michael Quinn Sullivan and Jonathan Saenz, and in 2012 hosted a U.S. Senate forum for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and the man who would later defeat him, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. As recently as July, he was listed on the website of Houston radio station KSEV — Patrick’s station — as a regular contributor.

He will proudly wear the banner of the Tea Party, but when asked directly about his associations with the AFP (interesting acronym parallel, no?), he demurs, saying he stumbled on their Yahoo group online and was “merely curious.” He also claims it was “all pro-Constitution, pro-America,” yet also claims he was doing research in order to “blow the lid off all of this.”

Which was it, Mr. Ives? Why would a good tea party soldier want to ‘blow the lid off’ an organization that was ‘all pro-Constitution, pro-America’? It was evil or it was good, and based on what remains of the postings there, it appears evil wins.
The group Mr. Ives posted in about ten years ago or so was called the American Fascist Party, but described itself as “a political party of Americans who want a strong military government to take control of the United States and put down the protesters, greeners, and ultra-liberals.” The online group was started on September 26, 1998, and claims 157 members as of this date. There appears to be some overlap between the AFP and the United Fascist Union Party (UFU), which fielded a 2008 candidate for President by the name of Jack Grimes. Jerry Springer was unimpressed.

As bizarre as it may seem, it would appear that calling themselves fascists was more palatable than calling themselves racists. So far, there is no evidence that Ives was associated with the UFU, but that only separates him from them by one very thin degree.

Readers might wonder whether a director of propaganda for the American Fascist Party might be using his skills to dodge what might otherwise be a difficult association. Perhaps a look at what postings of his remain in the original Yahoo! group would be useful.

There is this posting, for example, where Ives is quoted by another member before responding. In Ives’ original appeal, he says,

I want to get info on the availability of the t-shirt patch and the possibility of buying, or having made, the black banner. It would be a striking visual to gain notice at various events, and would look good on my wall, too!

Any use of Party Insignia, or any printings or public statements would, of course, be run through the leadership for approval.[Original posting here]

There is also this posting, which deserves to be seen in its original glory:

Ives, in his own words: “I know the isolation of the thinking mind amid the dross, of the concern and care over the nations future, while those around you cavort, and complain and stain the land. Worry not, for the day is coming, when we can make our mark, either in triumph, or in the anonymous service to the coming day. Mussolini spoke of the Bayonets of the New Dawn…”

Senator Ted Cruz (r-tx): A Profile In Fascist Hate Mongering

Cruz dodges question on McCarthy

The Dallas Morning News’ Todd Gillman interviewed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over the weekend and noted that the far-right senator has been “compared to McCarthy by several people.” Cruz responded by saying the criticism “may be a sign that perhaps we’re doing something right.” …

Ted Cruz, Führer Of The Value Voters Summit Neo-Fascist Fringe

Down with Tyranny Blog, September 27, 2014

All my friends think I’m crazy for asserting– all year– that the Republicans will pick Ted Cruz as their sacrificial lamb to face Hillary in 2016. Some of them are deluding themselves that Hillary will even be the nominee– pure wishful thinking– but most point to polls that show Cruz is way down at the bottom of the pack. … Those polls don’t matter– and Cruz knows it. Most Republican voters are idiots– its a requirement of the position– and don’t even know who he is yet. But they will — and the tip of the spear that leads the rest of the shaft around knows exactly who he is and what he stands for. And they know he’s their candidate.

The hard right hated McCain, hated Romney… they hate McConnell and Boehner and… they hate everyone. They think they like Reagan but that’s only because he’s as dead as their brain cells. They’d hate him today too. In fact, in his brilliant new book, The Invisible Bridge, Rick Perlstein reminds us that in 1968, when Reagan was the very conservative governor of California, rightwing extremists tried launching a recall effort against him for not being extreme enough! But Cruz they like. He’s a no-compromise, neo-fascist fanatic… the most right-wing federal elected official in America– and very aggressively so. And it’s their turn.